Frugal living is more than a lifestyle.
It's a passion. Call Me Crazy! I love it! Why, who wouldn't love getting paid to buy
products that they use everyday? Here's how I do it.

I purchase an item that has a
rebate offer (either a store or manufacturer rebate) while it is on sale and use a coupon
during purchase. That's it! Using this formula I almost always come out ahead. When all is
done, I've gotten back more than I actually paid for the item.

Even when I do have to pay for the items like deodorant, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, and
toothbrushes it's about 50 cents for a item that would cost up to $2 -$4 originally.

Am I the only one out there that gets excited about this? I doubt it! At least I hope
not. That would make me "Crazy", wouldn't it? But a lot of folks just don't know
how to combine money saving measures to maximize savings.

My local drugstore (which by the way is a national chain) often advertises items free
after rebate. Hey, that cuts down on a lot of work for me. Easy Money! I e an also lucky
enough to have a grocery store in my area that offers rebates and offers double coupons
(sometimes even doubling $1 coupons as a special promotion). Needless to say, with six
mouths to feed (myself, my husband, and four kids) I'm lovin' that idea!

As the editor of www.simpledebtfreeliving.com, I'm always looking for new ways to save
money. Visit us and follow one of the e-mail links to share your ideas or just let us know
how excited you get about frugal living! Let me know I'm not the only one. Then we can put
my family's worries to rest. They think I'm really crazy.

The major manufacturers of sandwich bags would lead us to believe that it takes rocket
science to keep a sandwich fresh. Ask yourself this, How long do you need to keep that
sandwich fresh anyway? It's not like it's going to the moon. It's just going to the office
or school for a few hours.

The most practical way to approach this is to purchase reusable sandwich size
containers. This is also very environmentally friendly reducing a great deal of waste. If
however, these have trouble finding there way back home ( which is likely if you have
children), you can save substantially if you purchase the plain old pleated sandwich bag
that cost a mere fraction of the razzle dazzle zipper kind. Your mother used these for
years and years with great success. I have used both methods for years and have never
received a complaint of a stale sandwich!

You'll find that doing these little things like, using real cups and plates instead of
paper or plastic throw away, and recycling containers for storage or even to use in craft
projects, can save a lot of money. Each by itself may seem minor, but when put together
amount to tremendous savings over time.

2. Don't buy it if you won't use it. Things like small kitchen appliances, repair
tools, and gardening tools are good examples. We know they'll make our life easier if we
just had the opportunity to use them.

There are 101+ small countertop kitchen appliances available to chop it, grind it, mix
it, open it, bake it, grill it..well you get the message.

Simplify your life and narrow it down to a couple you just can't live without. For me
it's my blender and my food processor. Although, I'm seriously considering a bread maker.
Not quite sure if it's worth the money yet. Especially when I'm so close to a bread
outlet. But, you can't beat the taste of fresh baked bread. I'm not counting the coffer
maker it's kind of standard equipment these days. I wouldn?t dare ask you to give that up!
What am I crazy? Well , maybe..

3. Always get the best value for your money. Shop around. If this is a major purchase
you will want to know what to look for. Research and compare products on the internet or
in sale flyers. There's nothing more challenging to the retailer than an informed
consumer. That's what you want to be. An informed consumer knows when it's a good value!
Informed Consumer - More Savings